Rep Defends Madonna Photos

The singer, 49, was photographed Friday leaving the Kaballah Center in New York looking gaunt and tired. But pictures can lie, says her publicist.

“I just think the photographer got a bad shot of her or it was touched up to make her look bad,” says her rep Liz Rosenberg. “I saw Madonna two days before at her rehearsal and she looked amazing – glowing skin and working really hard on her show.”

“She may look a little thinner than usual,” continues Rosenberg, “but she was dancing and singing better than ever and ate a nice healthy meal.”

“From a physician who has never evaluated or treated Madonna, it’s my impression that if she has lost significant weight, that you’re seeing a good amount of facial fat loss in her face,” he tells PEOPLE.

“The cheekbones can often stand out, appearing as [though] someone has undergone some form of mid-face enhancement,” he adds.

As for the expression on Madonna’s face in the photos, her rep joked, “Maybe she was getting ready to hurl a spitball at somebody.”

Could it be the stress of the recent the rumors about her marriage? No, says Rosenberg.

“She’s working hard rehearsing eight hours a day for her tour,” says the rep, who also called rumors that the singer ghost-wrote parts of her brother’s tell-all book “ludicrous.”

“If she had anything to do with that book, it would have been better written and more eloquent,” says Rosenberg. “To say Madonna needs publicity is insane. Her ticket sales are amazing. And she’s in a great space.”